Joan's evolution
Although Joan is not the main character of this book, she goes through character development that is significant to the plotline. At the beginning of the book, Joan is a lonely woman described eating a jar of maraschino cherries. She usually eats these cherries before bed, which is one of the only simple pleasures Joan has at the time. This changes throughout the book when after Bladine gets stabbed, Joan reflects on the event: “Is Joan some kind of defector of the Sisterhood if she doesn’t investigate? It’s late. She’s exhausted and afraid. She looks at the jar of maraschino cherries waiting on her nightstand. She hasn’t eaten one yet. The cherries were supposed to be delightful, but now they’re just accouterments to phonic misery” (Gunty 365). Joan deciding not to eat the cherries shows how her life is becoming too complex for her to be able to enjoy the things she once did. She used to be content being a passive character who doesn't interact with the outside world, but now, she reflects on her inaction, and not even the cherries can take her mind off it.
Joan and Bladine’s relationship also develops throughout the show. The irony of their initial conversation is that they bond over the fact that they aren't connected with the other people in the rabbit hutch. This is shown when Joan shows a reaction to Bladine saying “Sometimes I walk around, bumping into people, listening to them joke and fight and sneeze, and I don’t believe anyone is real. Not even myself”(Gunty 32). Joan is a lot less introspective than Bladine and is typically disengaged from her surroundings, but the conversation she had with Bladine is the first one that resonates with her, even if she still finds an excuse to leave the conversation. Throughout the book, Joan and Bladine’s relationship grows and deepens, which is demonstrated when Joan takes her first ever sick day from work to visit Bladine after getting stabbed. She becomes a character who takes steps to connect with others, even if she can't always express in words what she wants to say: “For a long time, the two women study each other. Joan wants to say: I don’t have an emergency contact, either. She wants to say: I’m glad they didn’t kill you. She wants to say: I am sorry for every instance I took when I could have given. “(Gunty 410) and instead says “You're awake” (410). Even though Joan doesn't get out what she truly wants to say, her thoughts expressed here along with her showing up show a shift in her willingness to form and keep meaningful relationships.
Although Joan remains a passive character who doesn't take risks with the things she does or says, she ponders and reflects a lot more on her actions she was once ok with, and has formed a relationship that has allowed her to have a deeper engagement with the people around her.
Joan’s growth throughout the novel and her evolving relationship with Blandine is an integral part of the story. At the beginning of the novel, Joan is portrayed as a trivial character, someone who hides in the shadows without much thought from anyone else. Joan is a very passive woman, and often she does not speak up against issues out of fear. For example, after Joan confronts the man on the train for snoring too loudly, she thinks to herself, “as usual, when she confront[s] the world about one of its problems, the world suggest[s] that the problem [is] Joan” (Gunty, 72). Joan feels as though no matter what she does she will not be able to have an impact on the world. Anytime she tries to assert any kind of influence it backfires. It becomes evident throughout the novel that Joan has more influence than she originally thought, especially with regards to Blandine. Joan hears the screaming the night Blandine is attacked, however, she is still paralyzed by inaction out of fear. Joan comes to regret this decision after Blandine ends up in the hospital and she attempts to remedy her inaction by going to visit Blandine. Joan is beginning to experience a shift in perspective and during her visit as she thinks to herself “she will offer to visit everyday” and “she will be neighborly” (330). Joan realizes that she can have a positive influence on people and her impact could be important.
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